Senate Commerce Committee To Vet CALM Act On June 9

The Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation (or CALM) Act will get a vetting June 9 in the Senate Commerce Committee.As its name advertises, the bill requires the broadcast and cable industries, which includes satellite and other multichannel video providers, to regularize the volume of advertisements and the programming surrounding them.The bill passed in the House last December. It gives the Federal Communications Commission a year to adopt a commercial volume standard set by the the Advanced Television Systems Committee. After that, the industry has another to purchase and install the necessary equipment. It also includes up to two, one-year waivers for financial hardship.

"Small stations and cable operators certainly should be able to comply within three years," bill backer Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) said at the time, "plus the amount of time it takes for the FCC to complete and release the rules." But she said there would not be an "open-ended" waiver process that drags on.